As I sit here writing, words flutter from the breezes in my fertile mind. So often, I try to put them on paper or utter them aloud. They come out in a jumble, as if I pulled them from the brambles in my mind. I use words to communicate and inform, to confuse and entertain. Words like the fruit of the bramble can be sweet or sour. Even when sweet, they can turn sour in the mind of the reader or listener.

Lately, however my words have caused trouble and the loss of a friend. For this, I am truly repentant and remain sad. Forgiveness may never happen, but having known this person made me a better man and inspired me to write.

A quote runs through my mind that means a lot to me from Jack Kerouac: "One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple." It is true that using simple words can make life easier by communicating better.

Having traveled the world during my long career, I found that English was a universal tongue, but great care needs undertaking, when speaking or writing. Using difficult English words leads to confusion and loss of the target audience.

In 1982, I wrote a very technical book of 1200 pages. It sold around the world for $350 per copy. I made no profit from it, but I gained fame from several world tours teaching from it. I still hear from friends made during those tours. What I learned was to try to keep how you communicate very simple. Today sometimes, I forget that trait and lose a lot having to repeat myself.

I sit here now in a dusky room with brambles cluttering my mind capturing words as they flutter about. I finish this short slice of my life by trying to use these simple words well.